Xref: utzoo rec.ham-radio.packet:964 rec.ham-radio:4072 sci.electronics:2316
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!pyramid!hplabs!sdcrdcf!faigin
From: faigin@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Daniel P Faigin)
Newsgroups: rec.ham-radio.packet,rec.ham-radio,sci.electronics
Subject: CB is a sewer (was: Re: low power license free packet?)
Message-ID: <5102@sdcrdcf.UUCP>
Date: 24 Feb 88 00:54:05 GMT
References: <8802111609.AA16271@decwrl.dec.com> <440@n8emr.UUCP>
Reply-To: faigin@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Daniel P Faigin)
Organization: Unisys - System Development Group, Santa Monica
Lines: 49
Keywords: CB == garbage, LICENSE-FREE == CB;
Summary: Not all CBers are bad.

In article <1943@ttidca.TTI.COM>, sorgatz@ttidcb.tti.com (Erik Sorgatz) writes:
>CB radio is a sewer, the majority of CB
>users are braindead, burntout Kids that have so little to do with their
>miserable lives they congragate around the 11 meter band hoping for any
>kind of amusement.

I occasionally read rec.ham-radio. When I find an occasional
article on CB radio, it is generally blasting the CBers. This
attitude upsets me.

I am a member of a CB club based in the San Fernando Valley
(Greater Los Angeles), California.  The legal name of this club
is "Valley CBers Inc." -- informally it is called the "Over the
Hill Gang". The purpose of this club is threefold:

	1) to exchange traffic information on the I-405 freeway
	during rush hours -- this benefits not only club members but
	others who monitor channel 14 (the channel the club uses).
	This is a form of SERVICE.

	2) to perform a SAFETY service, by notifying base
	stations (either REACTS or club members with base stations or
	cellular telephones) of traffic accidents that do not have police
	or ambulances on the scene.

	3) to provide a SOCIAL outlet for club members -- garage
	sales, hayrides, picnics, spagetti dinners, etc.

The club has over 200 members, I think. The occupations of these
members range from professionals such as lawyers or engineers to
auto mechanics to small business owners to ... you name it.

As with any medium, it is the special cases that bring about a
reputation. Yes, there are twits on the airwaves. There are
people who like to blast across the country with their power.
There are twits who like to send dead carriers and misuse the
airwaves. We don't like them either.

But it is wrong to characterize the entire users of the spectrum
as "braindead, burntout Kids". Would it be correct to
characterize ham radio users as braindead, burntout engineers? :-)

Daniel Faigin   ---  "Otherbeast"  ---   OTHG Channel 14


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